Norway understands mutual respect six years later:Global Times

China and Norway announced Monday the normalization of diplomatic and political ties. Since 2010, the year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a jailed Chinese dissident, the bilateral relationship between Beijing and Oslo has gone through a six-year deterioration and freeze.

Norway has paid its price due to its intervention in Chinese domestic affairs, with its political relations with Beijing almost stalled and their economic ties witnessing a tremendous landslide.

The export of Norwegian salmon to China dropped over 50 percent. Norwegians cannot enjoy a convenient service for Chinese visa applications like other European citizens.

Norway did not expect Beijing’s strong countermeasures. According to information released from the Chinese side, Norway has deeply reflected upon the issue and learned its lesson. The country’s attitude toward resuming ties with Beijing is very proactive.

Awarding Liu the Nobel Peace Prize was one of the rudest interferences in Chinese internal affairs by the West over the past years. No matter how wide the gap is over the understanding about Liu among people with different values, the dissident had continued to advocate confrontation and rebellion in Chinese society.

The Chinese court had determined the nature of his behavior and made a judgment. Yet the Nobel Committee publicly despised Chinese laws and the Norwegian government indulged the committee’s choice, turning a blind eye to the possible consequences.

The sanctions on Norway that lasted for six years have demonstrated China’s firm determination against any external intervention into China’s internal affairs. Just as China respects each country in the world, other nations, in developing a relationship with China, should reciprocate the respect. Norway has a population of merely 4 million, but it tried to teach China, a country with 1.4 billion people, a lesson in 2010. It was a ridiculous story.

Norway’s new government started to pave the way for normalizing bilateral relations since taking office in 2013. We’ve noticed that in the joint statement, the Norwegian government stresses its commitment to the one-China policy, “attaches high importance to China’s core interests and major concerns, will not support actions that undermine them.” The Norwegian government has stepped out of the radical and naive state of six years ago.

Liu and the Dalai Lama are among those who cause damage to Chinese national security. Can anybody say that the Nobel Committee has no intention to provoke China politically when presenting awards to them?

It is hard for Chinese society to forget our anger of six years ago. But we are willing to understand the improvement in ties with Oslo under the new circumstances. We stuck to our principles in the old days, but now we must look forward.

It is hoped that our frictions can eventually promote mutual understanding and integration between China and the West, instead of one conquering another culturally or politically.